Virtual Test: Joe Root and Ben Stokes lift England on day two against Sri Lanka

England will be satisfied at the end of the second day of the Virtual Test at Galle as they ended on 217-3 in their first innings, trailing Sri Lanka by just 60 runs

They have two set batsmen at the crease, too, with Joe Root unbeaten on 69. With him is Ben Stokes, whose unbeaten 38 has been more circumspect than some of the efforts we saw in South Africa earlier this winter but no less important.

Using his reach to good effect, Stokes has struck only two boundaries so far, but rotated the strike well in partnership with his captain, and will look to move England into the lead by lunch on day three.

Suranga Lakmal removed Zak Crawley early on, the Kent opener going back to a ball which he really should have gone forward to, and pinned in front. Joe Denly looked assured and struck two imperious boundaries off Lakmal before lunch.

Denly carried on in a positive nature after the lunch interval, comfortably out-scoring Dom Sibley, and it was somewhat of a surprise when he was trapped lbw by Dilruwan Perera.

It took a review, though, as the ball was shown to be just hitting enough of leg stump to overturn the original 'not out' decision. It was another disappointment for Denly in a career which has promised much but not yet delivered, as he had to trudge off for 44.

Sibley's progress was slow - at pretty much one run per over - but vital to the team effort, and he was approaching his half-century when he was snapped up by Oshada Fernando in the gully off the bowling of namesake Vishwa for 45 half an hour before tea

With tea taken at 133-3, the match was delicately poised, but Root and Stokes moved England into the ascendancy with their unbroken stand of 99.

Root started off far from his fluent self, but burst into life with successive sixes off Perera to move from 37 to 49, before completing his 66th Test score of fifty or more, virtually speaking. He will be hoping to convert it into an 18th Test century which would draw him level with his childhood hero Michael Vaughan.

The Sri Lankan bowlers stuck to their task gamely, and on no occasion did the game threaten to run away from them, but they will be only too aware of the need to take quick wickets early on the third day to avoid England moving inexorably ahead in the game.

England did everything right once earlier in the day as they quickly wrapped up the Sri Lankan innings for the addition of only 20 more runs.

Oshada Fernando failed to add to his overnight score as he was bowled via the inside edge by Sam Curran, and Stuart Broad (3-66) removed Vishwa Fernando and Lasith Embuldeniya via a couple of outside edges.